Holograms may be mobile in five years

What was once something only seen in science fiction movies may soon be coming to your cell phone: holograms.

Sure it may take five years, but the possibility of transmitting a 3-D message is a reality, according to IBM researchers.

IBM recently released their “Next Five in Five” list, composed of five innovations expected to emerge by 2015.

According to the report released by the company, 3-D interfaces will allow you to communicate with 3-D holograms of your friends or family.

The report also reveals that as the technology to create 3-D and holographic cameras improves, in the near future we’ll be able to interact with photos, browse online and chat with people in new ways. Futuristic, sci-fi ways. (“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”)

Reading about this is baffling. Sure the kids these days may think nothing of it, with them growing up in a wired world and all. But had you told me when I was 10 years old that soon I’d be able to just stand in front of some fancy gadget and beam in a HOLOGRAM of myself to talk to my grandma, I would have laughed at you, thrown a My Little Pony at your head, and run away as fast as I could. Because you were probably from the future, and possibly looking for plutonium.

Going back to 3-D, the report from IBM also said scientists were working on new ways to visualize 3-D data. Meaning it is possible that technology would allow engineers to step inside designs of buildings, software programs or even visualize trends happening on Twitter.

Imagine the possibility of one day driving around in a car that runs on batteries that breathes air (another innovation on IBM’s list), talking to your family not on a phone, but through a sensor implanted in your head (OK, I made that one up.) and then also cruising around on a Hoverboard (Yes, a working one does exist. You just can’t stand on it).

The advancement of technology these days amazes me and reminds me of something science fiction writer William Gibson said, “The future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed.”

CJ Castillo is the interactivity editor for the Victoria Advocate. You can contact her at cjcastillo@ vicad.com. Please send all correspondence c/o Victoria Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902